By Erin MiddlewoodThe Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)
That's great for commuters crossing the Columbia River anyway,
but not for those who want to know what's happening on state
Highway 14 or Interstate 5 in Hazel Dell.

This mobile-phone crossover along the state border has tripped
up Washington's Department of Transportation 511 phone system
since it was launched six months ago.

Motorists who want up-to-the-minute road conditions can dial
three easy-to-remember digits instead of 11 forgettable ones
that make up the other toll-free number. It works great, agency
officials say, except from most mobile phones in Vancouver
and the Columbia River Gorge. Land lines here reach 511 without
a problem.

Before Oregon got its system up and running in December,
mobile-phone callers here reached a message telling them they
had dialed a wrong number. Now they reach Oregon's 511 system
and updates on road conditions there.

"We're still working out some kinks," said Jilayne
Jordan, a spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Transportation.

The Federal Communications Commission designated 511 as the
number for road information nationwide. It is part of a menu
of the abbreviated dialing codes. Sometime next year, 211
will reach social-service referrals for the greater Portland-Vancouver
area. A handful of large cities have established 311 to provide
easy access to nonemergency government services, but nothing
is in the works yet for Vancouver or Clark County.

Motorists have quickly taken to Washington's 511 system,
a $1 million effort. The system received 16,000 calls in October.
As more motorists headed into snow on mountain passes, that
figure jumped to 30,000 in November, said Eldon L. Jacobson,
Washington's Seattle-based 511 project manger.

Though Vancouver mobile-phone users have 360-prefix numbers
assigned to Southwest Washington, their calls are routed through
Portland. It's possible to call 911 and reach Clark County's
emergency communications center because that system is more
sophisticated and identifies where the call is coming from.

The technology was too expensive for a road-information system,
Jacobson said.

He is working with Oregon officials to connect the two states'
511 system, so callers who reach one and want the other can
be connected automatically.

"It's a little bit tricky, over the long run we'll get
that figured out," said Glen Hammer, project manager
for Oregon's traveler information system. "Both (states)
are committed to getting the problem solved."

It will take some time, he said, given that Oregon just launched
its system.

Jacobson said he hopes to have the two systems connected
by June.

For now, Southwest Washington motorists calling from mobile
phones will have to punch in the longer number 800-695-ROAD
(7623).